Black, White, and Everything In Between
by Mewmewmewtwo
Summary: Touko White: Age sixteen, a native of Numeva Town, and ready to take on Unova, all with only one leg. Who is the strange voice she dreams of, and what awaits her? Told through first person and through journal entries. Tell me if I should do any shippings in this one, I'm kinda nuetral on this one. Rated K for now, the rating will probably go up...
1. Chapter 1

... I still don't own Pokémon. Please stop rubbing it in.

Author's note: Okay, so recently I read a book about a polio survivor. And of course, my fangirl mind soon began to turn, and this was born. I may or not continue this, tell me if I should or not.

I woke up, and swung myself out of bed, feeling the phantom pains again. This was probably the most exciting moment of my life. Professor Juniper had sent us a present, and said that it contained the starters of Unova. The phantom pain was forgotten, and I hobbled over to my closet, and pulled out my clothes, shoes, and leg. I clicked the prosthetic into place, and in my rush I forgot to buckle the straps. I threw on my jacket, and changed out of my pajama bottoms into my ripped jeans. They were getting short; I would have to buy a new pair soon.

I ran down the stairs, and rushed into the kitchen. Mom laughed. "Touko, I swear you're a human bullet. Sit down and eat first." I grabbed a piece of toast, stuffed it into my mouth, and ran outside to the mailbox. I opened the little box and pulled out an enormous box wrapped in paper, with the words Happy Birthday written on it. I ran over to Bianca's house, and cupped my hands over my mouth.

"B! Come on, the package is here!" I hollered, and Bianca's dad glared at me from the kitchen window. Her curtains moved, and a couple of minutes later Bianca had run out, her hair messily combed.

"Are they really here?" She looked as excited as I was. I nodded, and the two of us ran to Cheren's house. When his mom opened the door, we shot up the stairs, just like we always did. He was in his room reading about the starters, as expected of him.

"Cheren! Stop reading, you nerd, and help us pick starters!" He looked up from his book, and gave us an exasperated glance.

"Something tells me you two are really excited. Touko, you haven't even bothered combing your hair, and I bet you didn't brush either. Bianca, the same goes for you too." I rolled my eyes.

"Lecture us later, when we actually have our Pokémon." I grabbed their hands, and dragged them back to my house. In my room, I tore open the box, wrapping paper flying everywhere as I clutched the three pokeballs triumphantly. "Yes!" I handed them the card inside. "This one's Snivy, this one's Tepig, and this one's Oshawott." I handed them the pictures.  
"Aww, look at this one!" Bianca was pointing at the picture of Oshawott. "I want this one!" She pushed the button, and a little blue Pokémon popped out.

"Osha?" He looked at us, seemingly confused. Bianca squealed. "Aren't you adorable? Come here sweetie!" He looked at her for a moment, and hopped into her arms. "Osha." He looked pleased.

"I want Tepig. It has a type advantage over several of the gyms." Cheren picked up the pokeball, and released Tepig. He looked at us, and then at Cheren. "Tep." He hopped over to Cheren, and sat beside him.

"Would you look at that," I giggled. "Tepig knew who his owner was. I think he's smart. Perfect for you, Cheren." I picked up the last pokeball. "Perfect. I get Snivy." I released the Snivy, who took one look at us, and stuck her snout in the air. I laughed. "Don't you have an attitude? I think I'm going to call you Regal." She looked at me for a moment, and nodded.

Meanwhile, Oshawott and Tepig got into an argument, and Bianca clapped her hands. "I know! Let's have a Pokémon battle!" Regal gave us a look that basically said, "Heck, I'm too good to battle you."

I groaned. "Bianca, they're going to wreck my room." Bianca wasn't convinced. "They're still so little! They won't wreck the room!" I sighed, and shrugged. "Oh well. Let's get this over with."

"I'm going first. Tepig has an advantage over Regal," Cheren said, pushing his glasses up.

I shrugged. "They still don't know any moves that are of their type yet. But we can still battle." I looked at Regal, who was still acting like a snobby little princess. "Come on Re, let's do this!" Regal nodded curtly, and waited for a command. "Tackle!" Regal ran forward, and slammed into Tepig with a cry. Tepig got up shakily, and looked at Cheren. "Tail Whip." Tepig wagged his tail cutely, and Regal sniffed and lowered her gaurd.

"Leer!" Regal suddenly gave a glare that was extremly cold, and it looked rather comical on the little pokemon. Tepig giggled, a snorting sound. This severly annoyed Regal, who hissed.

"Tackle!" Tepig charged at Regal, who dodged. "You too, Regal!" I was bouncing up and down in excitment. She gave a battle cry and slammed into Tepig, knocking him over into a bedpost. "Tackle again!" Tepig shook himself and leaped after Regal, who was perched on the bed. Knocking her off, they both began exchanging blows.

One messy room later, Tepig slumped on the ground in defeat. "Good job Regal!" The tired snivy's once drooping tail lifted, and she hopped on my shoulder. "Yes! We won!" I began hopping up and down, hugging Regal.

Cheren nodded and Bianca stepped forward. "It's my turn now!"

I nodded. "I'm warning you, you're gonna lose to the awesome might that is Regal!" Cheren snorted. "Her kind is known for their arrogance. Please don't inflate her ego any further." I glared at him, and hugged Regal. "Face it, Regal is awesome."

By the end of this battle, which ended the same way as the battle with Cheren did, my room was a warzone. "Good job Regal! You won again!" I hopped up and down, holdin Regal by the hands and twirling her around. Suddenly, my left leg fell off, and I fell in a heap on the floor. Regal regarded my prosthetic with interest. "Touko, you seriously didn't even bother buckling the straps this morning, did you?" Cheren was using his lecture voice, and I braced myself.

I groaned, still in a heap on the floor. "Um, yes, I guess I did forget." I grabbed my leg and fastened it back in place.

"You guess you forgot?" Cheren sounded incredulous.

"Yes, now please stop the Mom act and help me up." I pulled myself up, which was rather hard as the prosthetic wasn't very good at bending.

"S-Speaking of your mom, isn't she going to be mad?" Bianca was nervously studying the damage down to my room.

I waved a hand. "I've done worse. Now then, let's go apologize, and then clean up my room." I marched downstairs, Regal perched on my shoulder.

"So you decided to have a battle in your room?" Mom raised her eyebrow at me. "Umm... yeah. We thought since they were little Pokémon, they wouldn't cause too much damage." Mom shook her head. "At least you didn't try to have a contest in your room again with Unfezant again..." Cheren looked at me like I had suddenly grown wings. Mom sighed, and smiled at me. "I'll clean it up for you guys, don't worry about it."

"But Mrs. White..." Bianca looked guilty. "Don't worry about it. You and Cheren can go and receive your Xtranscievers from your parents. Touko will stay here." Bianca cast me an apologetic look before leaving.

Mom turned to me, her eyes grim. Uh oh... "Touko honey, I thought you were old enough to realize that you can't have a Pokémon battle in your room." I sighed and hung my head. "I want you to be careful, okay? I mean, the world out there is dangerous, and you can't just recklessly charge into things like this, okay? I don't want to lose you." I nodded slowly. Mom had come so close to losing me once already, it would be cruel to make her go through that again.

I nodded again. "Mom, don't worry. Remember, I took martial arts as part of therapy. And I'll call every week, okay?" Mom smiled. "I guess you're right. Now go and show them what you got sweetie." She kissed my forehead. "And say thanks to Professor Juniper, okay?"

I grabbed my journal, and waved goodbye. I ran out the door and over to the lab.

Bianca and Cheren were already waiting for me at the lab, and Juniper was talking to them. "So I need you three to go on an adventure, have fun, and collect lots of information for the pokedex." Of course. Professor Juniper was always a conservative woman. Was there an easier way to collect pokedex information than by using children? It was a tried and true method used by all professors, and all current champions were all pokedex holders. She handed us all pokedexes. "I still need to teach you guys how to catch Pokémon!" She walked out to the neighboring route, and released her minccino.

"Now then, wild pokemon come out to challange trainers they wish to prove themselves to, and the ones who wish to come with you will come with you. The best way to do this is to weaken them and then catch them." Cheren raised his hand. "But the cath rate of the pokemon on this route and the next is 100%."

Professor Juniper seemed both pleased and annoyed. "Yes Cheren. But I need to teach you now instead of later." She cleared her throat. "So follow me into the grass please." She walked into the grass, and a patrat popped out. "Pound." Mincinno whacked the patrat, who responded with a tackle. Professor Juniper threw a pokeball at it. The pokeball shook several times, and then stilled. "And that is how you catch a Pokémon. Of course, it also helps to inflict a status problem on the Pokémon as well."

We nodded, and then started running. "Hey you three! You need pokeballs to catch Pokémon!" Professor Juniper called. She handed us five pokeballs each. "Now go have fun." I took mine, and placed them in my bag beside my journal. "Come on Re, let's get going!" Regal hissed happily.

So that's all! I may or not continue this, it all depends.


	2. Chapter 2: Journal Entry 1

Paste

Journal entry one: Sick

It started with the neighbor's Lilipup biting my leg. I washed the cut, unaware that it had punctured my skin. It ended with an infection raging through my body, some kind of mutant virus that was attacking my nervous system, and I was paralyzed from the waist down. Fever and flu took turns visiting me, and I grew to hate the smell of disinfectant mixed with sweat and puke. When my left leg got poisoned, they amputated it. The color I hate most is hospital white, that ugly color I had to stare at for a year and a half. Nobody thought I would live, and I grew used to hearing frantic prayers to Arceus, to Zekrom.

I pulled through eventually, regaining use of my leg. I believe it had something to do with the voice that told me it wasn't my time yet, although I will never be sure. I was put through therapy, which was worse than being sick. Being forced to accept the fact I only had one leg, and learning how to use the piece of plastic that replaced it. Doing all sorts of stretches, of someone on pulling my weakened muscles, ignoring my screams for them to stop. Taking all sorts of martial arts in an effort to strengthen my muscles, getting used to my prosthetic.

When it was over, I was thankful. To this day, I cherish every day, and try to be as happy as I can. I also have a deathly fear of Lilipup and its evolutions. Why should I hate what I nearly lost? Although, it is rather surprising that Mom allowed me to go on a journey. I had honestly thought she would bubble wrap me and shut me in my room the rest of my life, she's so protective of me. So I write in this journal a promise: I promise I will try as hard as I can, and that I won't worry Mom. I promise to be the best person I can, both to humans and Pokémon. Because there is a reason I'm still alive, and it wasn't luck.

-Touko


	3. Chapter 3: Accumula Town

Note: This means Pokémon are speaking. Touko does not understand that, so she only hears cries. I am translating it for the benefit of you readers.

There was a bark, and a Lilipup jumped out, growling. I screamed and fell over, and Regal looked at me with worry. "T-Tackle it!" Regal charged at it, slamming into it, hissing. It growled, but ran off. I clutched my heart, panting. "I hate those guys…" Regal hissed softly, and sat on my shoulder. She flicked her tongue against my cheek. I got up and picked my bag up. "Let's go." We walked further, but all the Pokémon only wanted to battle, and didn't want to come with us.

We made it to Accumula Town, and I ran to the Pokémon Center. "Heal her!" I dramatically thrust Regal into the arms of Nurse Joy, who giggled when Regal played along with it and pretended to faint. A chansey brought Regal an egg, and Regal bit into it happily as the machine glowed, restoring Regal to full health. Regal hopped back into my arms, and I thanked Nurse Joy and walked out.

"Woah…Flash mob." In the short time I had been in the Pokémon Center, a bunch of people wearing the same knight uniform had gathered in the town square, and a man in intricate robes was addressing the crowd. "My name is Ghetsis. I am here to represent Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I am here to talk about Pokémon liberation…" I stopped paying attention the moment I realised a Plasma member was trying to take Regal. I growled and hugged her tighter. He backed off, and I started paying attention to Ghetsis again. "Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers... they get pushed around when they are our "partners" at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?" I frowned. So was it true? Were people wrong to own Pokémon? "Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you consider the relationship between humans and Pokémon... and the correct way to proceed."

Cheren pushed his way over to me. "This Team Plasma... they have some strange ideas."

I nodded. "Do you really think we should let them go?" Regal hissed and grabbed my arm.

"If I don't stay, then who's going to protect you from Lilipup and play with me?" Tepig grunted. "Yeah! Except for the Lilipup thing. Cheren has a Lilipup." I sighed, and hugged Regal. "Aren't you a cutie? Yes you are!" I threw her in the air, and then caught her. She hissed happily, and vines shot out from her collar.

We started walking out of Accumula Town, and I bumped into someone while I was staring at the large buildings. "Sorry!" I apologized to both Regal and the strange man, seeing as I had knocked both of them over. "It's okay!" Regal then stuck her nose in the air, and crossed her little arms. "I've taken worse." I rolled my eyes. I thought we were over the snobby phase... But then I realized that she was acting that way because of the new person. "It's okay, your snivy says she forgives you too." I blinked. "You... You can understand her?" He nodded. "Yes, they're talking. So you can't hear them either... How sad. My name is N."

I smiled. "That's really cool! I'd love to know what Regal is saying! Are you a trainer? Because us two," I grabbed Cheren's arm. "Are new trainers, and we've been asked to work on the pokedex!"

N sighed. 'The pokedex, huh? You're going to confine many, many Pokémon in pokeballs for that... I'm a trainer too, but I can't help but wonder... Are Pokémon really happy with us?"

I frowned, and cocked my head. "That's a really good question. You know, I think the easiest way to figure that out is a battle. I mean, you can listen to them while they're battling!" He nodded. "Very well. I guess we can test it your way." He released a purrloin. "Scratch." Purrloin lunged at Regal, who hissed as sharp claws raked down her side.

"Hold on, Re! Vine Whip!" Regal nodded and vines shot out from her collar, hitting the purrloin, who hissed and waited for the next command.

"Growl." Purrloin growled at Regal. "I'm going to rip you and your trainer to pieces." Regal used Leer without my command, riled up at the purrloin. "No you won't because you're gonna be fertilizer if you even try to hurt Touko."  "Vine Whip again!"Regal happily hit purrloin again. Cheren watched from the sidelines, making notes on the battle. "Scratch." Purrloin lunged at Regal, who dodged the blow and slammed into her, fainting the purrloin. Regal hopped onto my shoulder. "And that is how you do it, people." Regal's expression changed. "So does that mean I can stay with you, Touko?" I hugged Regal, spinning her around as I twirled. "Good girl! You're the best partner a girl could ask for!"

N recalled his fainted Pokémon. "That was a very interesting battle. Until next time, farewell." I waved as he walked off, and then turned to Regal. "Purrloin are pretty cool. We should get one sometime." Regal snorted. "As long as it's not that one." 

We walked through the grass, when there was a flash of black, and I was knocked forward, and then back. "Hey! Something took my bag!" Regal hopped off my shoulder and flicked her tongue out, intent on finding the thief. She tugged on my leg, and led me deeper into the grass. There was another flash of black, but this time Regal cried out and grabbed the thief with her Vine Whip.

It was a purrloin, but unlike any I had ever seen before. Instead of being a purple color, it was more of a blue-black color, with a soft glow to her fur. She struggled, and then regarded us with big, innocent eyes, as if to tell me to put her down. I shook my head. "No, I'm not falling for that. Stop the cute act and give me my bag back." She pouted, and then tried to rake Regal's eyes out. Regal just lifted her higher. "No. Please help me find my bag, or I'm taking you with me for the rest of my journey." I imagined going to town with Regal holding a purrloin in the air, and I giggled. The purrloin stopped fighting, and pointed with one paw towards a clump of grass. I walked over to the clump of grass, and found my bag as well as other trinkets. I picked my bag up, and then studied the gems. They were all elemental gems, the kind that boosted power. I nodded to Regal, who released the purrloin.

Instead of running away, she looked at me with big eyes. "Huh? You want to come with us?" She nodded slowly. I pulled out a pokeball, and threw it at her. It shook once, twice, and then stopped. I picked up the pokeball, and released the purrloin. "So why did you decide to join us?" She looked at me. "Because you're the only human that was smart enough to not fall for my tricks. I like that." I shrugged, as I had no clue what Purrloin had just said. "I'm going to call you Thorn. Is that okay?" There was a happy purr, and Thorn snatched my hat and ran off. Laughing, Regal and I chased after her.

Soo... Touko has a shiny purrloin now! And she doesn't realize that! My liepard is a shiny too. Something tells me N and one of my other characters from a different fanfic would get along well together... the two of them could have a nice, long chat about idiot trainers.


	4. Chapter 4: Journal Entry 2

Wow, three updates in one day! This is a record...

Journal Entry Two: A double sided coin

While I was in the hospital, I'd dream. I'd dream of going back home, of where I wasn't sick in the hospital. One of those days where I'd sleep the entire day, I heard the voice for the first time. "Are these two the one?" This voice sounded female.

"Yes. Although which child is which is yet to be determined." The next voice was certainly male.

The first voice, the female one, talked to me. "Little girl, which is more important, truths or ideals?"

I thought for a moment, my five year old brain trying to decide. "Truths. Because Mommy always says that you shouldn't lie. Dad lied to Mommy, and said he loved her. And when he left, she was really sad. So if he had told her the truth, she wouldn't be as sad. She would have never fallen in love, and she wouldn't be as hurt. And the doctors lie all the time. They tell me I'm getting better, and that I'll go home soon. But I heard them say that I'll die soon. That's really mean. I thought I'd be going home soon. If they had just told me I'd die, then I wouldn't dream of all the birthday parties I'll have, and instead I could say goodbye. I wasted so much time dreaming of birthday parties, I'm scared I won't have time to say goodbye to Mommy and Cheren and Bianca." This was probably the smartest thing I had ever said as a five year old.

"And you?" It was the male voice. "Boy, what do you think is more important?"

"Ideals." The boy was probably a few years older than me. He hesitated. "I mean, if everybody lied, that would be a bad thing. But if people tell all the truths, then people would be too sad to go on, to dream. If there are a couple of lies here and there, there is room for ideals. Ideals help the world improve, to have hope even on dark days. And I plan on making this world a better place."

The two voices whispered for a little bit, and then I felt a wing envelop me. "Come child," It was the female voice. "Let's talk for a little while, shall we?" This was the first of many dreams like this. I never heard the boy or the male voice again, but the female voice came almost every day, talking to me like I wasn't a little girl, like I wasn't sick and dying.

The last time I heard her in the hospital, it was when I was so sick I heard they were already planning my funeral. "Touko, wake up." I woke up in my dream, and I saw a smudge of white in my vision. "Oh, it's you, Lady." That was the name she always had me call her. "Touko, it's not your time. Wake up!" I felt a burning sensation, and I gasped and opened my eyes, panting.

"Touko!" Mom looked shocked, her eyes red from crying. "Your heartbeat! It had stopped…" She began to cry. I hugged her, my arms terribly weak from disuse and sickness, but they were stronger than they had been for a long time. "It's okay, Mommy. Lady said it wasn't my time yet." Mom closed her eyes. "Arceus, thank you. You brought her back…" But Arceus was always called a he in the myths. Lady wasn't a boy.

As I grew older, Lady would visit occasionally in my dreams. The last time she saw me was a couple of weeks before my birthday, before I got Regal. "Touko. Do you still believe truths are more important?"

I frowned. "To be honest, yes I do. I hate it when people lie, you know? I mean, the truth hurts, but I would rather have crystal clear vision and be forced to see the world as it is, instead of seeing only what I want to see. But truths and ideals are really two sides of the same coin. Without one, you can't really have the other. Without truth, you wouldn't have any ideals. Every myth is based off fact. But without ideals, you wouldn't pursue truth."

Lady seemed pleased with my answer. "Ah Touko. I feel confident you are the one. Remember, you have a purpose."

… And so I write this in my journal, because nobody would believe me if I said this out loud. But I swear, it is the truth. I'm still looking for my purpose, though. –Touko

Hehe.. guess who the people in her dreams are!

...


	5. Chapter 5: Dreamyard

I walked through Striaton City, humming quietly under my breath, Thorn running off to investigate new smells and occasionally begging for food, which most people found adorable. She ran back over to me, holding a piece of baked bread in her mouth. Regal hissed. "What's with you and the bread?"

Thorn gulped the piece of bread down, and purred happily. "It's tasty, and I get it for free. These people are so gullible."

I sighed, and picked Thorn up. "No more free food for you. I'll buy you something later, okay?" I walked over to the gym. "We have some butt to kick."

"It's closed!" My wail rang out through the quiet town. Cheren and Bianca walked over from the Trainer's School over to me.

"Yes, it's closed. But do you really have to be so loud?" Cheren griped.

"YES! This ruins my plans!"

Bianca, who had previously decided to stay out of the way from the oncoming argument, spoke up. "We can go to the Dreamyard! I heard it's a good place to train your Pokémon for the gym battle!"

A woman in a lab coat walked up to us. "Oh, are you guys heading to the Dreamyard?" When we nodded, she smiled. "Can I ask you a favor? I'm Fennel. I need some Dream Mist for my research, and Dream Mist is given off by the Munna evolution line. They live in the Dreamyard, and I was thinking maybe…"

I nodded eagerly. "Of course we will! What does Munna look like?"

Fennel handed us a picture of a little pillow - like Pokémon with flowers across its body. "This is Munna. So are you guys in?"

I nodded. "We'll get you the Dream Mist, Fennel! You can count on us!" I grabbed my friends' hands, and dragged them to the Dreamyard before they could protest.

We walked to the Dreamyard, and Bianca finally spoke up. "Um... Touko, we don't have the badge yet. We can't get past that little tree blocking the way."

I scoffed. "You underestimate me. Therapy, remember?" I walked over to the tree, and delivered a series of kicks. The tree snapped, and I smugly walked through the hole.

"Remind me to tell your mother that you've been doing crazy things," muttered Cheren as he stepped through the hole.

I snorted. "No need to call. You're already acting exactly like her." I pushed past overgrown bushes and into a clearing. "Woah..." In front of us was what could have once been some sort of lab, except it looked like a crazed giant pyromaniac took a blowtorch to it. But that wasn't what caught my attention. In front of us was a little pink pokemon.

"Musha?" He looked at us curiously.

I smiled reassuringly. "It's okay. We don't want to hurt you..." There was a sudden snapping noise, and Munna fled. "Argh! Stupid branch..." I glared at the tree branch that choose the worst time to fall off the roof. There was a squeal of pain from up above.

"MUNNA!" Me and Bianca screamed at the same time, and tore after the noise. Cheren ran after us, sighing about his crazed female friends.

Two grunt were kicking Munna, passing it to each other like a soccer ball... and it annoyed me. "WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU HYPOCRITES!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Regal and Thorn voiced their agreement.

"Doing our job. It would be much easier if this darned Pokémon just gave us the Mist..." The female grunt delivered a ferocious blow to his side, and Munna whimpered.

I growled low and deep in my throat, and my fist clenched. "You...You idiots..." Munna's whimper rang in my ears, and I stepped closer. The female grunt paused.

"Somebody's fighting back now? Patrat, get them."

I scoffed. "Regal...Do what you have to do." She nodded, and flashed an evil smirk.

Regal Vine Whipped the pokeballs off the grunt's belt, and I released the Pokémon inside. "Now now, what would Ghetsis say? Owning Pokémon, you hypocrite..." The patrat ran off, as well as the pidove and purrloin.

I smirked. "Want to face me now?" She went pale, then pink, and finally crimson. "Why you little brat!" She glowered angrily.

While they were distracted, Bianca had run over to Munna and was digging through her bag for a potion. The male grunt pushed his comrade back. "I'll get this one. Go get the Munna."

I lazily looked at him. "Wanna bet?"

Cheren shook his head. "I call dibs on this one." Just then, the female grunt had finally noticed Bianca, and was creeping up on her, a switch blade in her hand.

"Get your dirty hands away from my friend!" I yelled, and jump kicked her in the face. Even a meinshao would be proud. I landed unsteadily, and glared at her. Meanwhile, Cheren had beaten the male grunt, and Tepig was bouncing happily around his feet. The two grunts growled like lilipup who had their bones stolen, and pulled out knives.

"!" I stared, and then sighed. Persistent people... I cracked my knuckles. Suddenly, the same robed guy from Accumula, Ghetsis, materialized a foot in front of my face, and I yelped.

"You there. Grunts. What are you doing fooling around in here?" The grunts paled and dropped their weapons , and I faintly considered kicking them while their guard was down.

"L-Lord Ghetsis!" The male grunt began bowing, and I tried not to giggle. "We-We're sorry!" The female grunt nodded, too scared to say anything.

"This is your last warning." Ghetsis teleported behind them. "Do not make me repeat myself again." He disappeared, and the grunts got up and ran.

"..." The three of us looked at each other. Ghetsis could teleport... "Mushar!" A larger, pink and purple Pokémon floated closer. She floated over to Munna, who happily nuzzled her. "Mushar.." Munna looked at Bianca, and flew into her arms.

"Oh..." Bianca looked worried. "Aren't you going back to your mom?" Munna shook his head no, and Bianca smiled. "So you're going on a journey of your own? In that case, I'll be happy to take you with me! Mrs. Musharna, I'll take good care of him!" Musharna bobbed up and down before teleporting.

"Hey look!" I pointed at the smoke that hung in the air. I uncorked the vial Fennel gave us, and scooped up some of the Dream Mist. "There! Our job is done!" I smiled, and dragged them out of the Dreamyard.

We walked to Fennel's apartment, or rather, me and Bianca dragged Cheren, and proudly handed her the Dream Mist. "Thanks! This is wonderful for my research! I haven't developed a model for public use, but I have a prototype. Would you guys like to try it out? Basically, the device allows you to go into Pokémon's dreams!"

I looked out the window. We had spent the entire day in the Dreamyard... Smiling, I took the device. "I'll test it." I shot Thorn and Regal a smile. "I wonder what you guys dream of..."


	6. Chapter 6: Deep in the Mind of Thorn

I went to a small shop that sold Pokémon food, and smiled at the lady behind the counter. "I'd like cheri berry soup, and… hey, what do you guys want?" Thorn hopped on the counter and pointed to the most expensive thing on the menu, an enigma berry poffin. Regal tapped the mago berry deluxe with one vine, and I smiled. "And an enigma berry poffin and mago berry deluxe."

"That will be sixty dollars, thank you for shopping with us!" I grinned and grabbed the warm bag.

Carrying it back to the room I rented at the Pokémon Center, I opened the take out bag and handed Thorn and regal their well deserved meals. I sipped the cheri berry soup happily, and looked at Thorn who was wolfing down her food, and Regal, who had Vine Whipped her meal into smaller pieces and was eating it piece by piece.

"So who wants to volunteer for dream probing?" I looked at Regal and Thorn, and Thorn grinned her little cat smile and nodded. I sighed. "I really worry about going into your dreams, Thorn. But if you insist… I guess this will be quite the experiment."

We headed to Fennel's apartment, and walked into her messy room, where Bianca and Cheren were waiting. Fennel stood next to an impressive machine, and smiled at us. "Touko, I'm so glad you volunteered. If this works right, then I will be able to develop a more efficient model than this." She gestured to the enormous device.

I grinned. "Okay, and now to answer the dream scientists and philosophers have tried to answer for decades… What really goes on inside a purrloin's mind?"

Fennel shrugged. "You're about to find out. Purrloin, Touko, please step into the machine." We did as we were told, and the last thing I heard was, "Five, four, three, two..."

One. I stood in a grassy clearing near a copse of trees, and poffins and shiny objects floated in the air. "Cool. So Thorn, is this your dream?"

"Yep." I turned, and saw that Thorn had just spoken.

"That's so cool! I can't believe that you can speak human!"

Thorn purred, amused. "How do you know you aren't speaking Pokémon? This _is_ my dream after all."

I rolled my eyes. "You're just as I pictured you would be."

Thorn batted her eyelashes. "How so?"

"You're mysterious, sassy, and vague."

Thorn yawned, showing little white fangs. "I feel flattered." She walked towards the woods. "Come on. I always wanted to show somebody around this place."

We walked through the woods, and occasionally we would hear strange noises or Thorn would get distracted by shiny objects. We passed an elegant liepard, who was maroon in color and had the same soft shine to her fur as Thorn did. "Hello Thorn sweetheart," she purred. "I see you got yourself a respectable trainer. Good job, honey."

"Mom," Thorn wailed. "You can't just butt into my dreams like this. Stop it, you're embarrassing me."

She flicked her tail. "I'm allowed to butt in whenever I like. I'm your mom, and until you learn to be less rude I'll keep coming back." She fixed me with a strange look. "I think I like you. You seem to be smarter than most trainers. Take good care of honey bunches over there."

She vanished, and Thorn grumbled. "I'm supposed to be rude, I'm a dark type. Arceus, that was embarrassing."

Liepard's voice floated through the forest. "You're a purrloin, sweetheart. Be good to the family name, and please stop being so uncouth. Vague, elegant, and mysterious, honey."

Thorn grumbled something under her breath, and then flicked her tail. "Come. There is still more to see other than Mum back there." I followed her deeper into the woods, where a riolu waited.

"Thorn! It's good to see you! Where have you been?" He cheerfully ran up to her. "You aren't going to leave me again! I mean, ever since we moved to this forest, you only show up every now and then." He bumped her playfully.

Thorn smiled softly, and nudged Riolu. "I've been busy. How have you been?"

She looked at me, and motioned with her tail for me to come closer. "I met Riolu a little while back. He came with his trainer, but was released by Team Plasma. I tried to help him find his trainer, but he had been replaced. He died a little while after that. Now he just pops up in my dreams sometimes. He doesn't remember his trainer anymore. It's amazing how the mind works." Her eyes softened. "He's happy here now."

"Hey Thorn!" Riolu smiled. "Watch this!" He punched a boulder, and it cracked. "I learned a new move!"

I watched as Thorn smiled. "You're really strong now. Maybe one of these days you'll be able to beat me in a battle." She flicked her tail under his muzzle.

"Hey! Stop that!" He pounced on her. They rolled together, laughing. I felt really sorry for Thorn. The poor thing must have been really good friends with Riolu.

"Touko, this is Fennel. We're bringing you back in thirty seconds." Thorn got up from her tussle and walked over to me.

"Hey Thorn! Are you leaving again?" Riolu ran up to us. Thorn nodded slowly. "You aren't leaving me behind this time! It's boring without you! Please?"

Thorn shook her head. "I don't think it's that easy."

"But you followed me here! Why can't I follow you back!"

"Touko, we're bringing you back now."

I woke up with tears in my eyes, and Thorn was wiping hers with one paw. Fennel opened the compartment I was in. "Okay, we're done!" There was a noise from the empty compartment next to us, and Fennel frowned. "Eh? What's going..." The door burst open, and Riolu tumbled out.

"Told you I could follow you! You aren't allowed to leave me behind!" Thorn purred and ran over to Riolu. I smiled. So Thorn was going to be able to be with her friend after all... and Riolu got a second chance. Regal stared at the sudden appearance of this new stranger.

"Who are you?" Regal watched Riolu with interest. "I've never seen your kind before."

"This is Riolu," Thorn seemed to be explaining. ""He came here from Sinnoh."

"Yep! And I'm going to come with Thorn and battle and have fun!" Riolu bounced around.

Cheren stood with his mouth open, and Fennel was making notes. Bianca squealed. "Oh, that's such a cute little pokemon!"

Riolu nodded, suddenly smug.

"So it's settled!" I clapped my hands. "Riolu's coming with us. Say, how do you like the name Luke?"

Riolu, now Luke, nodded and then tackled Thorn, who rolled over and crashed into a table, sending papers flying.

"Hey! That's my research!" Fennel wailed. I laughed while Regal held her head in her hands, shaking her head at her two hyper teamates.

Author's note: Why Thorn, you may ask. Why not Regal? Weeelllll... I already mentioned my shiny purrloin. I only caught my Thorn because she was shiny, and I never planned on using her after I found a replacement. But then the Ferriswheel happened, and I sadly had NO clue what psychics were weak to. Only Thorn was left, and she SWEPT N's team. Then, again during our battle with Clay, I sent her out to weaken his last pokemon, because I fail as a trainer. BUT, again, Thorn used Assist, Jump Kicked excadrill in the face, and won the battle. Hence, Liepard is now one of my babies. Okay, I'm done explaining. Me love Riolu beacause it was a gift from Riley. :)


	7. Chapter 7: Striaton Gym!

Author's note: I _should _be doing my homework right now, but… OH GREAT AND MIGHTY HOMEWORK GODS PLEASE SPARE MY MISERABLE LIFE! (*is shot and killed by homeroom teacher*)

I nervously fidgeted in front of the Striaton Gym, doing a last minute check to see if I had enough potions and berries. "I probably have enough, does twenty potions seem like enough to you guys?"

Behind me, Regal stood on the stairs, watching her teammates with her Queen of Sheba act, while Luke chatted to Thorn, who managed to look both bored and interested at the same time.

Regal nodded, and patted me on the arm with one of her vines. I sighed in relief. "Good. Anyways, we should be able to beat this gym, Luke should be able to handle the lilipup, and Regal and Thorn can help mop up whatever spots Luke left." They cheered in agreement.

Marching into the gym, I saw other people sitting down and having coffee, while at the same time a couple of heated battles were being fought nearby. "Wow… We have to eat here sometime!"

I gaped at a couple who were having tea while a panpour jumped at a purrloin, who dodged and tackled him back, throwing the panpour at the couple.

The panpour hit an invisible boundary, and bounced back. The two didn't even flinch. "What the…"

"Interesting, is it not?" I whirled around to face one of the waiters. I pointed at the battles, and then to the people eating lunch. "Oh, that. The Striaton Gym doesn't get enough funds from the League to operate all of the stuff here, so we also operate as a restaurant. There are Protect boundaries around the tables so that no stray attack hurts the customers."

I blinked. What?

"I assume you are here to challenge the gym leaders. In order to advance, you have to step on the correct button that is effective against the type shown on the curtain. There are also gym trainers that will battle you before you can face the gym leader."

I nodded. "Thank you!"

An hour later, I stepped through the last curtain. It hadn't been really hard, seeing as Cheren had drilled all of the types and type advantages into my head. I made a mental note to thank him later.

The gym trainers hadn't been too hard either, but I had stopped and headed back to the Pokémon Center after every battle to rest my Pokémon, and give them a fifteen minute break. I was rewarded for my efforts with a fully recovered team ready to crush the gym.

"Welcome to the Striaton Gym, how may I help you today?" The blue haired triplet spoke first. I blinked. If I remembered correctly, all three triplets were gym leaders. The blue guy was Cress, the green guy Cilan, and the last one was Chili.

I smiled. "I'd like a really hot battle with a side dish of awesome, thank you very much." Regal nodded her agreement, and Luke jumped up and down in pent up excitement.

Cress nodded. "Your starter is Snivy, am I correct?"

I nodded. "Very well, you will face Chili."

Chili nodded. "My pansear will crush your snivy!" He released a lilipup. "Psyche."

I smiled. "Hey guys, let's show them what we got!" Luke ran up, and I pointed a finger at Chili. He mimicked my motion, pointing a paw at Lilipup.

"Force Palm!" He ran forward, slammed his paw against Lilipup. A discharge of glowing energy erupted from his paw. Lilipup yowled.

"Bite!" Lilipup ran forward and clamped his jaws onto Luke's arm, and he shook him off.

I crossed my arms, and Luke did the same. "We're not going down yet! Counter!" A swirl of blue energy surrounded Luke, and the wave hit Lilipup, who fainted. I jumped up in excitement, and Luke repeated the action.

"Impressive. You and your Pokémon are in complete sync. But," Chili pulled another pokéball from his belt. "You wanted a hot battle, so that's what you get! Pansear, Incinerate!"

Thorn pushed Luke out of the way, and took the attack. She stood up on her hind legs, and I hit the same pose as her.

"We're not going down yet! Attract!" Thorn curled her tail around her paws, and gave Pansear the big eyes treatment. He blushed, and forgot about what he was going to do.

"Pansear! Don't fall for her female charms! Fury Swipes!" Pansear shook his head and continued staring at Thorn. Luke glowered from his spot near Regal.

Thorn smiled, and looked at me. I grinned back. "Fury Swipes." Thorn dropped to all fours, and looked at Pansear.

"Sorry sweetie. Nothing personal." She sent him flying with one paw, and then continued raining blows down on his head. Luke glared again.

Pansear shook himself off and got up. "Wow. You're even cuter when you attack like that." Chili hit his head, blissfully unaware of the little love feud going on. Thorn smirked, and rose back up on her hind legs to copy my actions.

"Again!" I swept my arm out in a flourish, and Thorn repeated the action before lunging. Pansear went down, and Chili sighed.

"You won. Take this badge."

I blinked as the badge was handed to me. "Don't I have to battle the rest of you guys?"

"Nope, just the one who has the type advantage against your starter, who didn't even need to participate."

I hit my forehead. "All those potions for nothing… Oh well, at least I got my badge!" I ran outside happily, only to trip on the stairs and fall face first on the ground.

"Ow…" I moaned, rolling over and getting up. For the most part, my prosthetic moved the way a normal leg would, but sometimes it would get jammed and wouldn't move. Hence my hatred of stairs.

"Seriously Touko?" I sighed and stood up, brushing myself off.

"Hey Cheren. Yes, I don't have anything better to do other than to fall down stairs."

He sighed. "Honestly, I swear you have no brain sometimes. Anyway, once you finish fixing your leg, go to the Pokémon Center. Fennel sent us all gifts." I nodded, and limped to the Pokémon Center, dragging my unbending leg behind me.

Plopping myself down in a chair, I studied the C-gear strapped to my wrist. "So this is Fennel's new model… I should use it sometime." I sighed, and unstrapped my prosthetic. I massaged my leg stump, flinching as I felt the familiar pins and needles from clamping it too tightly on. I bent the prosthetic, bending and unbending it to fix the jam. "I hate this thing…"

Regal hissed her sympathy. I smiled. "It's okay. Tell you what, tomorrow we can move on to the next town. For now, we should go celebrate our victory with food." I smiled. "Who thinks we should go to the Striaton Gym? I heard they have really good tea."


End file.
